the spooky october movie series, pt. II

coming up with the idea to watch a festive spooky movie every sunday night in october was basically one of the best ideas ever for getting one in the proper mood for the season.

we try to select slightly out of the ordinary films – not exactly what you would expect. the quintessential halloween movie for me is one that is a bit creepy and spooky, but also equal parts enchanting, charming, funny… not just a typical slasher film or something like that. here’s what we’ve got up to so far this month – i hope it provides you with some ideas for your halloween viewing!

week 1: crimson peak (2015), del toro

alex is a big fan of guillermo del toro (and his most popular film, pan’s labyrinth) and i was looking forward to a cast that includes mia wasikowska, tom hiddleston, and jessica chastain. i was not disappointed – this film is so delightfully gothic and beautiful with out of this world stunning costumes, set at the turn of the century in america and then the second half of the film in england in a creepy, haunted mansion. this is the best festive spooky film i have seen in years, and i know i’ll be re-watching this one for years to come.

rating: 5/5 ghosts – perfect on every level in terms of spook factor.

week 2: the 39 steps (1935), hitchcock

this is one of hitchcock’s first major films, but to be honest, it did not wow me as much as rear window or last year’s dial m for murder. i could only recommend this to a hitchcock fan who hasn’t seen it yet or a fan of film of this era in general. it just did not have that spook factor i look for.

rating: 1/5 ghosts – just isn’t quite up to a halloween movie standard.

week 3: the addams family (1991), sonnenfield

i grew up watching the sequel to this film over and over as a kid (in fact, i insisted upon only that film when we went to the video rental store), but i had never seen the first part where we find out what is the deal with gomez’s long-lost brother, uncle fester. cast is outstanding. although not quite as funny or memoral as its sequel, this film does hold its own when it comes to required halloween viewing with the right amount of creep and spook! many hilarious moments, fantastic performances, and i am convinced that morticia and gomez are the world’s best couple ever. serious married goals, right there.

rating: 4/5 ghosts – almost everything that makes a halloween movie.

week 4: throne of blood (1957), kurosawa

i was so pleased when alex told me about a film from his favorite director (akira kurosawa) that fit in with our october movie series! this is a re-telling of macbeth, and just so happens to be michael fassbender’s favorite version of the story, and coming in at under two hours long, this is one of the shortest of the kurosawas if you’re looking to dive in somewhere. i was pleased to see scores of mist (see above), cackling, singing phantoms, and a boneyard, so it fit the bill enough for me.

rating: 3/5 ghosts

week 5: dracula (1931), browning

what would halloween night be without a viewing of an old-timey universal monster movie starring bela lugosi? at least for us, that is. the perfect thing to watch with only the glow of pumpkins, candles, and a mug of hot cider.

rating: to be determined.

if you like halloween, how are you celebrating it this year? we won’t be dressing up sadly, as our travel plans don’t align, but you know we’ll be snuggled cozy with a festive beverage and the above film in the light of our glowing jack-o-lanterns.

you can check out last year’s movie series right here for more out of the ordinary film ideas.

(photos via imdb)